Monthly Archives: March 2020

Everyone can agree that eating healthy is important, but making it happen every day can be a challenge. According to a recent survey from the American Heart Association and Aramark, a U.S. based food service company, participants expressed that availability of healthy foods (43 percent), “convenience (60%) and taste preference (54%) as having a great deal/quite a bit of impact on choosing an unhealthy lunch.”

While those numbers aren’t the best, there are two other numbers that are better. “More than 4 in 5 (82%) agree that having healthy food options at work is important to them and more than 2 in 3 (68%) value help from their employer in becoming healthier.”

Understanding these statistics and taking the next step can help
employers determine the best way to provide break room refreshments for their
employees. Rather than assuming which products employees would like to have
available, employers should survey their employees to find out. Different
individuals will have different preferences that develop from a number of
factors including upbringing, genetics, culture and individual experiences.

So, what makes a snack better-for-you? The broad definition is a
snack that has a high nutritional value or one that is high in protein,
vitamins, minerals and fiber but low in calories, fat, sugar and sodium. A
popular example is nuts. While nuts are high in calories and fat, they have
lots of important nutrients.

choose a snack that has between 150 and 250 calories. Always check
the portion size on the nutrition label. The portion size and the size of the
package are often two different amounts.

choose items that have about 3 grams of fiber and 5 grams of
protein per serving. Since fiber and protein can create a feeling of fullness, New
York City employees are likely to stay full longer, decreasing the overall
amount eaten.

avoid snacks that have more than 12 grams of fat per serving.
Consuming too many saturated fats can raise LDL or “bad” cholesterol and
increase the risk of heart disease and stroke.

Whether New York City employees need an unplanned pick-me-up or didn’t have time to fix something at home to bring to work with them, access to healthy vending machine snacks and beverages is a great option. It also supports what employees are looking for—convenient and tasty choices and help from their employer to become healthier and access to better-for-you choices at work.

We at Healthy Vending believe in supporting the New York City area by providing a large selection of organic and all-natural snacks and beverages in our vending machines. For more information about our product offerings or vending solutions, please contact us at 917.572.3671.

Do you keep track of the amount of caffeine in your favorite iced tea or chocolate treat? If the answer is no, you’re not alone. Many New York City individuals typically only consider how much coffee they consume even though there are many other snacks and beverages that contain caffeine. In addition to coffee and hot tea, it can be found in iced tea, energy drinks, soda, chocolate and gum.

March is Caffeine Awareness Month, and with more than three-quarters of the U.S. population starting their day with some sort of caffeine, let’s take a deeper look at everyone’s favorite energy boost.

What is caffeine?

It is a stimulant that excites or activates the central nervous
system. The results of that stimulation can vary widely as caffeine’s effects
are based on each New York City individual’s sensitivities, age, weight,
medical history, and tolerances.

Even though there are negative side effects from consuming too
much (raised blood pressure, insomnia, indigestion, headaches and migraines,
and increased anxiety), there are also benefits. Caffeine has also been linked
to enhanced alertness and memory, improved athletic performance, elevated mood,
increased metabolism as well as a decrease in pain sensitivity for those with
chronic pain.

The good news is, according to the U.S. Department of Health and
Human Services’ 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, that adults can add up to 400 mg/day of caffeine into their daily diet .

What about chocolate treats and
iced tea?

Knowing if a favorite cold beverage or chocolate treat contains
caffeine is important, but can sometimes be challenging to determine.

The best thing for New York City individuals to do is check the ingredients’ list. If the word “caffeine” is included, then the product includes the synthetic version, like in soda or energy drinks. If there is an ingredient like cocoa solids, kola nuts or black tea, then the caffeine comes from a natural source.

So, how much is in there?

The answer to this question depends on a few factors including the
type of tea or chocolate used and how it’s prepared.

Caffeine found in chocolate comes from cocoa solids. Dark
chocolate contains more cocoa solids compared to milk chocolate or white
chocolate, so the darker the chocolate the greater amount. While the amount of
caffeine in a chocolate treat can vary based on other ingredients, in general,
dark chocolate is assumed to have 12 mg/oz while milk chocolate has 5.8 mg/oz
and white chocolate, which isn’t made with cocoa solids, has 0 mg/oz.

Iced tea is also impacted by a variety of factors such as the type
of tea, how many tea bags were used, how much water and ice were added, and how
long was the tea allowed to steep.

Healthy Vending, for example, offers a couple brands of iced tea in our vending machines. One 16 oz bottle of black tea contains 81mg of caffeine. The same amount of green tea contains 55mg while white tea contains 61 mg. Even though white tea traditionally contains less caffeine than green tea, any of the factors listed above can affect how much is actually in a beverage, highlighting the importance of checking the label.

Break Room Refreshments

What types of healthy, cold beverages or chocolate treats do your New York City employees or students look for during the day? Can they find them on-site? Offering healthy cold beverages in break room or school lunchroom vending machines is a great way to make sure everyone stays hydrated. Add healthy snacks to the menu, and employees and students will be more likely to visit the break room or lunchroom.

For more information about upgrading your current refreshment menu or customizing a new one, please call Healthy Vending at 917.572.3671.